As the 2013 season comes to a close, I couldn’t help but
write something concerning the championship contenders. The article below is
about Jimmie Johnson, but in a few days I will post one about Matt Kenseth as
well. During the off-season (and winter break), I will be posting more articles
here on NASCAR by Design, as well as continuing to write for popularspeed.com.
The 2013 NASCAR season has been great, filled with many twists and turns. I hope
to review some of the exciting stories it produced and begin writing about the
upcoming 2014 season as well.
See ya soon,
Stephanie Adair
Stephanie Adair
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Jimmie Johnson leads the points standing by 28 points over
Matt Kenseth after the eventful race at Phoenix International Speedway earlier
this week. The driver of the No. 48 Lowes/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet will have to
only finish 23rd at Homestead Miami Speedway to clinch his sixth
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
However, the battle between Johnson and Kenseth will not be
over until the last lap next Sunday. Last year, the No. 48 suffered mechanical
problems, something no one can predict or easily prevent. Even if Johnson does
not win his sixth NSCS title, he still has made history this year.
The 38 year old NASCAR veteran has set multiple records all
throughout this season. The stat-breaking began in May when Johnson beat NASCAR
legends Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for most All-Star race wins. That
day, he also became the second driver to win back All-Star races after Davey
Allison accomplished it in 1991.
About one month later, he completed a sweep of both the 2013
Daytona 500 and Coke Zero 400. Johnson became the fifth driver ever to do such
a feat, alongside the names of “Fireball” Roberts, Cale Yarbrough, LeeRoy
Yarborough, and Bobby Allison. It did not end there, as he also claimed the most
wins all time at Dover International Speedway.
It has been quite impressive how Johnson has continued to
engrave his name further in the NASCAR history book. If his success remains
steady, Johnson will be one of the few drivers to defy the odds as his career
reaches its latter years by continuing to break records.
There are many legitimately in his reach. He is only one
victory away from achieving the most wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Texas
Motor Speedway, and Kansas Speedway. On the all-time wins list, the five-time
NSCS champion sits eighth with 66 wins, only ten victories away from Dale
Earnhardt Sr.
Whether you like him or not Johnson is a talented driver and
future NASCAR Hall of Famer. Even if Jimmie Johnson does not win his sixth
championship, he has already made history this season and will likely continue
to for some years to come.
On Sunday, expect him to drive hard, vying for another stat
in the NASCAR history book. He is exactly in the position he wants to be in as
he enters the final race of the season: Defense.
“We're heading into Homestead in the position we want to be
in.” Johnson said after the race at Phoenix, “I'll have to go down there and
run 400 miles. It's far from over. You've got to finish that race. Although we
have a nice cushion, we still have to go down there and take care of business.”
